A Chelsfield man has described his chaotic trip to the emergency department at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Farnborough.

Jim Holder, of Woodlands Road, dialled 999 at around 9.30pm on Monday after he struggled to breathe.

The 79-year-old, who was an ambulance driver for 21 years, had visited hospital earlier that day for a gastroscopy. He felt unwell after returning home.

First responders treated Mr Holder at his house but decided he needed to go to the emergency department.

He said an ambulance arrived at 12.15am, almost three hours after his first 999 call.

Mr Holder told News Shopper: “When I arrived, it was absolutely manic. There were bodies lying on stretchers and trolleys. Chaos.

“Beds were being moved here, there and everywhere. The uniformed staff were giving it 999%

“I can’t fault them in anyway whatsoever. They were right on the ball.”

News Shopper:

A PRUH spokeswoman said like many hospitals across the country, they had seen a big increase in people attending the emergency department.

NHS England has come under fire from the Labour party this morning after it announced it would not publish its usual weekly data covering patient waiting times in A&E from tomorrow until January 9.

Mr Holder, who lives with his wife Sandra, added: “I’ve been in and out of hospital a lot. I have had four heart attacks.

“But that is the worst I have ever seen it.

“My wife came with me. She was just absolutely shattered.”

News Shopper:

Mrs Holder, 68, said when doctors discharged her husband from hospital on Monday afternoon; she saw ambulances queuing up outside the emergency department waiting to bring patients in.

She said: “When we came out mid-afternoon there were people queuing to come in. The sitting area was chock-a-block.

“It was dreadful. The staff were just working their socks off. The pressure they are under is ridiculous. They were so apologetic.”

A PRUH spokeswoman asked those with non-life-threatening conditions to seek advice from their GP or local pharmacy to ensure the most unwell patients are treated quickly in hospital.

She said: “The winter months can be particularly challenging due to higher demands on our services.

“Our dedicated staff are working hard to provide the highest standards of care to patients.

“Since King’s took over the running of the PRUH in October 2013, we have made a number of changes to improve the ED.

“As we knew, there will be no quick fix, but we have increased staffing levels, and opened up new clinical areas to cope with demand.”